Canon T5(1200D) Is Built For Beginners, But Is It Their Best Option?

Canon released their new T5, or 1200D if you do not live in the US, to little fanfare. Why? Because it is a camera aimed at beginners to photography and DSLRs. It is meant to be an inexpensive option for beginners to learn the ropes on, but is it really the best option for those beginners?

Kai, and the team over at DigitalRev, just released their hands-on review for the Canon T5, and they aim to answer that very question. Check it out below:

As you can see, while the guys over at DigitalRev agree that the T5 is in fact pretty good at what it is meant to be good at, there is a better option out there for beginners. That camera is the Canon SL1, also known as the 100D in the rest of the world.

What are your thoughts on the T5? Do you agree with us and DigitalRev that there are simple better options out there for beginners, or do you see it as a good option? Leave a comment below to join the discussion.

Anthony Thurston is a photographer based in the Salem, Oregon area specializing in Boudoir. He recently started a new project, Fiercely Boudoir to help support the growing boudoir community. Find him over on Instagram. You may also connect with him via Email.

Q&A Discussions

I use a T5i for everything from family gatherings and hiking for fun, to shooting all-weekend dance events and models in studio. Pros react negatively when I say I’m using such a cheap camera when they ask what I’m shooting with, but it does very well, and I end up with pro-series features that might have come out 1-2 years earlier in very expensive bodies. Sure, it’s a crop sensor, but if I didn’t tell anyone, they couldn’t tell in the photos. Instead of spending big bucks on a body, I invest my money in lenses and lighting and don’t skimp out. The camera bodies become outdated quickly. So, I stick with starter series cameras and upgrade often.

I sort of felt the same way about the Nikon beginner DSLRs. The D3300 / D3200 are / were awesomely affordable, but anyone who is interested enough in photography to want a DSLR is probably going to quickly outgrown such a camera. Might as well just get the D5300 / D5200, or if they know they’re going to be very serious, a D7000 or D7100. (Or D600 / D610…)

I think the cameras marketed as beginner cameras these days are almost worthless purchases. just get a prosummer camera that’s 2/3 or even 4 generations old and you have rooms to grow plus more image quality than you’ll ever need for at least a year. Examples being canons 50d, Nikon d300, nikon d7000, all very very capable cameras that are “old” and “outdated”.

Very good advice, Ashlin. I hate to say it as someone who makes a living off of reviewing camera gear, but personally 90% of the time I’m happy with bodies that came out years ago. My D700 and D300 are still going strong, and I don’t plan on upgrading soon unless I can’t avoid it!

Having said that, new lenses are one thing that excite me to no end. Partly because the types of photography I shoot always seem to lend themselves to the more exotic, weird lenses that haven’t been released yet. Like the 12mm f/2 for mirrorless cameras; I’ve been dying to try out a lens like this!!!

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